Conventional operating tables may have slide rails along each side of the table. These slide rails are generally rectangular in cross-section and are used for the attachment of accessory parts, such as, for example, support aids, to the operating table in a desired position along the rails. Clamping claws, which are coupled to the accessory parts, are generally used to secure the accessory parts to the slide rails.
In their simplest design, conventional clamping claws, otherwise known as clamping blocks, are generally composed of a bracket-shaped part, which slides onto the slide rail and is then fixed in a desired position via a clamping screw. Conventional clamping claws with more refined designs may allow the claws to be pivoted onto the slide rail at any point along the rail, thereby permitting the claws to be secured to the slide rail more quickly and without having to rely on access to the rail from one of the ends of the slide rail. To secure such a clamping claw to the rail, a support element that can be moved by means of an actuation element is generally provided. Although such clamping claws provide for greater attachment efficiency, they also have various disadvantages. For example, such clamping claws may be attached improperly to a slide rail by being attached to a slide rail with incorrect dimensions or by being operated incorrectly by a user. Furthermore, the user may remain unaware of the claw's improper attachment, which may result in detachment of the accessory part. Additionally, such clamping claws may be embodied as less stable, and even if they are attached properly to the slide rail, they may not be suitable for the attachment of heavy accessories, such as, for example, Goepel leg holders.
For example, an exemplary embodiment of a conventional hook-shaped clamping claw 1 is shown in a side view in FIG. 1. The clamping claw 1 has an actuating lever 2 and a pivot lock 4 that can be pivoted onto a slide rail 3 via the actuating lever 2. When the pivot lock 4 is pivoted properly onto the slide rail 3, a first support surface 5 rests against a lower rail surface 6 of the slide rail 3 and a second support surface 7 of the pivot lock 4 rests against an inner rail surface 8 of the slide rail 3 that faces an operating table (not shown). However, in FIG. 1, an improper attachment of the clamping claw 1 to the slide rail 3 is illustrated, in which the inner rail surface 8 is not contacted by the pivot lock 4. In this defective state, rather than the support surface 5, a surface 9 of the pivot lock 4 that is not designed for resting on the slide rail 3 rests against the lower rail surface 6.
Since the pivot lock 4 is not easily viewed by a user actuating the clamping claw 1, the user generally does not recognize the faulty position of the pivot lock 4, which indicates the faulty attachment of the clamping claw 1 to the slide rail 3. A further complicating factor is that in this faulty state, the actuating lever 2 (actuated by the user for attaching the clamping claw 1 to the slide rail 3) is still arranged in the correct position, which is locked via a pawl and ratchet mechanism 2a. Thus, the user generally never becomes aware of the claw's improper attachment.
The present disclosure provides a stable clamping claw to secure an accessory part to an operating table. The present disclosure further provides a clamping claw, the secure attachment of which to a rectangular slide rail of the operating table, can be easily recognized by a user.